Adarsh scam: CBI arrests former Major General

Mumbai, Mar 21: The CBI has arrested retired Major General AR Kumar and detained another former Army officer in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society scam. The arrest came hours after the agency apprehended four accused, including a retired brigadier and a former bureaucrat, in connection with the case.

Kumar, ex-general officer commanding (GOC) Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat Area, was picked up by CBI sleuths yesterday from his residence in Hyderabad and produced before a court for transit remand to Mumbai, official sources said. According to CBI, Kumar, while holding the post of GOC, fraudulently and illegally issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the collector of Mumbai for development of a residential building on the plot.

Kumar's son was allotted a flat in the plush 31-storey building in return of the favour, the agency alleged.

CBI yesterday arrested four accused - former defence estates officer and secretary of Adarsh R C Thakur, retired brigadier M M Wanchoo and former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, both chief promoters of the society and former deputy secretary of state Urban Development Department P V Deshmukh.

The arrests were made following scathing remarks from the Bombay High Court for failure to initiate action against the accused despite having prima facie evidence against them.

According to sources, another Major General (retired) T K Kaul had been detained and was likely to be arrested in connection with the case. The CBI had taken six arrest warrants on Monday from the court. Wanchoo, Thakur and Deshmukh have been brought to court for remand.

PTI